Mosin Nagant Modders Forum

Thanks Gene for all your patience and understanding through this project. You were as much involved as any of us. It was your input with Mr. Manson that really helped in getting a chamber reamer properly cut. Having clients like yourself make it easy to provide good customer service when the customer is understanding of the complexities of a build of this nature. We thank you very much for your encouraging words and we are especially glad that the rifle turned out as good as it has. Can't wait to see the future performance of the rifle. And by the way we are developing a 6.5x54R not a 6.5x47. You could really get me hemmed up building 6.5x47, although it would be an awesome cartridge to stick in a MN.

"I have created the blacksmith who fans the coals beneath the forge and makes the weapons of destruction. And I have created the armies that destroy." Isaiah 54:16 NLT

Timing finally worked in my favor . Desert Sharpshooters had a 300 yard practice day scheduled last Saturday ,on the 1,000 yard range , so I beat feet to Ben Avery at 5:30 a.m....Didn't want to be late . . I'd established a 100 yard zero on the scope on Wednesday , so it was just a matter of dialing up 3 1/2 MOA and taking a shot . Five shots later , I had five X's on a NRA 300 yard target , out of the box . The load was 51.5gr of A-4350 behind a Sierra .308 155gr Palma bullet . Barring any heavy cross-winds , this should be a good load combination out to 600 yards . I switched to a Lapua 175gr Scenar L , with 53.2 gr of A-4350 and threw out a couple of "tens", and 3 more X's. Since I confirmed my "zero" , I was satisfied and packed up to come home and load rounds for this coming week . 600 yard practice session this weekend and 1,000 the following week . Have Berger 185 Hybrids and Sierra 175TMK's for 1,000 loads . I'll get them worked out before going on to the 195TMK and 200.20X Going to load some test rounds of Varget , 4064 , and A-4350 .

Saturday was the big day for the first shots at 1,000 yards with this rifle . After it's solid performance at 300 and 600 , I was hopeful that everything would continue along those lines . Turned out to be a nice morning with a light breeze out of the N.E. at about 5 mph . Cool for Phoenix at 85 degrees when rounds went down-range at 7:15 a.m.

I learned two things from this excursion very quickly . #1. My Vortex 6-24x50 HS-T is a excellent scope , but only adequate for shooting at 1,000 . Is it a solid useable scope for this distance ? Yes .....But I have already added a Golden Eagle to the wish list , before shooting the first twenty rounds . #2. Regardless of what any "expert" tells you ; a 155 grain bullet is not a good 1,000 yard choice . Even if they are the newest Berger 155.5's and Sierra 155TMK's . As the temps went up , the wind also gradually picked up , and I was "chasing the wind" , through my whole string . Never the less ; the rifle performed good , and I was aware of my mistakes in round selection for the next time . And next time ; there will be 175gr Lapua Scenar L , Sierra 175gr TMK's going down-range . 40 rounds = 372 / 7x's .

I'm satisfied with the rifles performance to the point that I entered the 2018 Berger S.W. Nationals to compete in the 600 yard "F" Open matches , and attend the two day clinic before the matches begin . And those 155gr bullets are outstanding at 600 .